


Open House

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Series: Devil May Cry Attends Redgrave Elementary [2]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Adults doing their best, Alternate Universe - Elementary School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempt at Humor, Dysfunctional Family, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-28 12:17:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18208211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: Nero's family coming to open house is as normal as can be.





	Open House

**Author's Note:**

> **[DO NOT REPOST/REUSE MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION]**
> 
> Big thank you to all the support for the last work, that hit to kudos ratio is amazing! The comments are great too! I added some in-verse info at the end, so check it out if you're curious, though know it's kinda long, lol.
> 
> Also, I don't know what I'm doing, I just want to write domestic fluff.

Out of habit, he ignores people staring at him because of his hair, and what more, he ignores people staring at his family. As much as the boy hates to admit it, but his family stands out,  _a lot_.

Nero says it's because they all look and dress weird, but Nico laughed at his face as she comes down the slide with her arms up in the air, saying, "It's because ya'll a good lookin' family! All the moms are extra nice when your daddy and uncle show up, and all the dads stare at Lady and Trish. You don't notice a thing because they're your family."

"You wouldn't either if you know the things that come out of their mouths," Nero deadpans, huffing. "Father and Dante are always fighting, and Trish leaves before you even finish what you're saying. Lady is better, but she cons you out of your allowance sometimes. Even though she doesn't need your money." 

"What 'bout V?" 

The boy shrugs. "He doesn't make a lot of sense sometimes and quotes poetry like you'll understand. I'm ten, I don't even know what a William Blake is."

"Who."

"Whatever."

"Well, ya think they'll come to the open house this Friday? My daddy's comin', and so is Credo. Kyrie told me."

Nero narrows his eyes in thought. "I don't think I even told them about it," he says slowly. "You don't have to go, so it doesn't matter."

Nico frowns. "I'm pretty sure there was a phone call to everyone's houses about it though. The school called us last night. Maybe they already know."

Again, the boy shrugs, heading to the swings. "If no one says anything about it, then it doesn't matter. I don't care about an open house anyway."

That day after school, Dante is there on time with his bike, and the man says, "Heard about the open house this Friday, and we want you to know, we're all coming. Except for V, he's going to a Sins, Scissors, and Scythes concert with the goths from Empusa High, so he's making it up by going to the next parent-teacher conference."

Nero rolls his eyes. "You don't have to," he says, "it's just a dumb school thing." 

"Yeah, but it's  _your_  dumb school thing, buddy. Just wait until you get to high school and join a dumb school club."

"I won't tell you anything."

"What makes you think none of us won't figure a way to find out? We're in the PI business."

Nero frowns, getting behind his uncle. "It's none of your business."

Dante laughs, revving up the engine. "No, it's the family business."

 

 

 

"Go home! Go home right now!" Nero shouts, face flushed with embarrassment as he tries to tug Dante back to Devil May Cry, but he's no match for a grown man and they're already a block away.

"But I look good," Dante says, tipping his beige cowboy hat like that's a true statement. He smirks behind the accompanying red scarf, going back to humming an old Western theme song.

The man's in his usual work clothes, a caped jacket and boots (and a shirt), which is completely fine by Nero, but  _that_  hat and  _that_  special scarf are Dante's performing accessories. Dante's troublesome without them daily, but holy shit, if he just starts dancing Michael Jackson, Nero's going to lose it. 

"Stop pulling, Nero," his father says, looking at the two of them sternly. "Behave, the both of you." The older twin is wearing a three-piece piece suit in his favorite color, baby blue. He looks like a proper working-class father, and Nero doesn't care much for it. The boy wishes V was here to counter with his dark, too thin outfit.

"Might as well accept it now," Trish says, laughing. Her outfit is as usual, black and appropriate for an elementary school setting. "If you couldn't stop him then, you can't stop him now. You know how stubborn Dante can be."

Lady and Vergil snort in agreement, to which Dante just smiles at. "Cheer up, Nero," the raven says, her white blouse covering her brown short shorts, "it could be worse."

Nero frowns because that is not comforting. At all. "I hate this family," he says, crossing his arms. 

"That's fine," Vergil says, entering the school gates, "as long as you keep dignified, Nero, you're a Sparda." 

The boy lets out a loud groan, the other laughing as they make sure he doesn't run. 

The first thing they do is have Nero show them around Redgrave Elementary. Nero gives them a simple tour because it's just a school, but he does go into more details of the places he likes most, like the gym and the swings. For whatever, the adults are attentive, Lady asking if she could push Nero on the swing. 

That gets a confused look from Nero, but Dante's already picking him up and putting him on it before the boy could even decide for himself. Nero thinks it's weird, that is until he sees Trish pulling out her phone and he's too high to stop her from taking pictures. He nearly kicks Dante in the face trying.

After finding out shouting doesn't work, Nero decides to jump off, but he hesitates because he hasn't perfected the landing just right yet. He always lands on his butt, and that's hurts a lot! But Trish has to be stopped, she always prints the pictures she takes and puts them up in the hallways between their rooms. There are enough pictures of him already, seeing how a majority of them have him in it. 

Taking a deep breath, the boy times his release patiently, waiting for one more push, and he lets go, heart pounding in fear and excitement. There's a moment of relief when he sees his feet is going to land first, but then it disappears in an instance when he feels his center of gravity falter, tilting him back. He can't help but let out a cry of desperation. 

He's caught mid-air by the back of his shirt, a strong arm wrapping around his middle. Nero's both grateful and ashamed, breathing a little faster than just a minute ago. His face is red.

"Thank you, Father," the boy says, wanting to be put down, and Vergil complies without being asked. 

The older man nods in acknowledgement, and Trish comes up to them, picking Nero up like a sack of potatoes and telling him to point them to his class. 

"Put me down!" the boy demands, kicking his feet in vain. 

"When we get there," the blonde says, following Lady's pointing of the right direction. "It won't be long before I'll have trouble doing this. One day, those kicks will actually hurt."

Dante snorts. "He'll never hurt me, I'm too powerful," he says. "Isn't that right, Vergil?" 

Vergil narrows his eyes at his twin. "I will always be the stronger one," he says confidently. 

"Well, I'm going to beat you one day, Father!" Nero shouts in frustration, pointing at Vergil. "Just you watch!" 

The man merely smirks at that challenge.

At his class, Nero is put down as promised, and immediately, they are greeted with outright stares (it's much more obvious in a room) and the teacher greets them with a flush on her face. 

"Welcome," she says, glancing too shyly to be appropriate at Dante and Vergil, "I'm glad to see you here tonight." 

"Of course," Lady steps in, enjoying this too much as she tries not to smile too wide. "We're  _all_  interested in what Nero gets up to at school.” 

The teacher clears her throat, straightening herself up. "Yes, of course, Nero's one of the brightest students I've ever had. If you look around the class, you'll see that a lot of the hundred percent grades are his."

"Good kid," Dante comments, ruffling Nero's hair almost too roughly. "Good to know you got the family smarts."

"It's mostly from me, Dante," Vergil says, combing his fingers through his hair smugly. "You're too much of a fool to produce intelligent offspring."

"I'm not an offspring!" Nero argues because he's not a plant. "I'm a kid!"

Dante laughs, clasping Vergil on the shoulder. "Prime example of 'intelligent offspring' right there, brother."

The older twin huffs. "The very least is that he still has the potential to grow up, unlike someone we all know."

Trish snickers at the teacher's expression, taken a little aback at the brothers' banter in front of Nero, who's all too use to his father and his uncle provoking each other. "Let's go check out the room, boys," the blonde says, saving them all from a scene. 

Fate would have it that Nico and her dad Rock enter the classroom, and the bespectacled girl runs over to Dante. "Mister Dante!" she shouts, bouncing on her feet. "You're wearin' your hat! Do the dance!" 

"Baby," Rock calls out in defeat, knowing it's too late. 

"Nico,  _no_ ," Nero says, pulling his friend from his uncle. 

"Nico,  _yes_ ," Dante says, smiling as he gives the girl a wink. "I've been waiting all night for someone to ask. Now, watch, as I amaze you and all your friends and their parents."

"For fuck's sake, Dante," Trish curses under her breath, crossing her arms as she rolls her eyes as Lady turns around out of protest. Nico jumps happily in place between them. 

Vergil just ignores everything his twin is doing and starts looking around the room, and Dante starts breaking out in his rendition of Michael Jackson to the sound of no music but his own noises, getting way into it than he really should in the middle of the classroom. The teacher, students, and their families stare, not sure what to make out of it. 

Nero's face feels like it's going to peel its skin off from how painful this entire experience is, he can't deny that this dancing man is his uncle. Vergil and Dante are  _twins_ , and Nero looks almost everything like Vergil!

The boy plans to run away from home tonight. 

When Dante is done— _finally_ —there is a splattering of applause as he bows to everyone, Nico clapping the hardest with delightful laugh. "Yay, funny man!" she cheers. "Encore! Encore!" 

Rock stops her before she could keep going, placing a hand over his daughter's mouth. His large hand covers half her face. "You keep quiet, missy," the mechanic warns, "there's enough bad things in the world as it is. Don't go encouragin' the man." 

"I'm living with you now, Rock," Nero states, looking betrayed. "No, I'm going to live with Kyrie and Credo. Nico started all this." 

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Nero," Nico laughs, pulling her daddy's hand away. Her attention shifts almost immediately as she starts to tug her dad to look at the art and crafts display. "Daddy, look what I made!" 

Rock chuckles endearingly as he follows with a wave to Nero. 

The others picked themselves up from Dante's performance a lot faster than Nero, Trish and Lady already joining Vergil looking at the papers put up on the wall. Test papers and grades with eighty percent and higher get out up, and they get switched out every week. The papers are divided by subjects, and the grades with a hundred stay up right up on top. The teacher is right when she said that Nero scores a lot of them, Nico and Kyrie as well.

It's interesting to note the slight difference in affinity between the three: Nero does best with grammar and history; Nico with math and science; and Kyrie with art. The brunette has the most stars for leadership shown too.

Trish takes pictures of some of Nero's papers, even though she'll get them eventually at the end of the school year and make her own wall. Lady moves off to talking to the teacher and other parents, getting a gauge of how Nero's doing in school socially. Vergil is still looking at the papers, contemplating just how much he has to do with them (a little, just a little; everyone helps Nero out with homework). Dante is by his side, wearing the same expression.  

And Nero, Nero follows him, staying close by but at a distance with his words. He doesn't say anything, but he's expecting something, waiting for an overall score on his own performance. From the both of them. 

Out of everyone in the whole world, Nero looks up to his father and his uncle the most, his earliest memories are with them. In a way, they're both his fathers, identical in both looks and values, and for Nero, they share the same space in his life. It's kinda like they're one and the same, while being two different people simultaneously. It's one and the other, he doesn't remember a time when it wasn't like that, though he knows of it. 

They boy waits impatiently on his feet as the two brothers went around the entire room, not saying a thing in between. 

What he receives at the end, without him ever having to say it out loud, is a pair of hands on his head, two different hands and two different kind of smiles, Dante wide and open and Vergil small and smug.

Nero forgets about running away from home tonight. 

The moment passes when Dante sees a basketball in the bin and says, "Vergil, what's the score the last time we played? 50 to 49?" 

"Do you even know how to count?" Vergil shoots back, huffing with amusement. "It's 49 to 50."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it."

The older twin narrows his eyes, as if he wasn't going to take the bait, but Dante's already heading out, stealing the ball without permission, and saying, "Scared I'll best you this time? Chicken!" 

Vergil loses, taking off his suit jacket and tie and handing them neatly to Nero who rolls his eyes. "I'll show you scared," the man mutters under his breath as he rolls up his sleeves, unbuttoning the top two buttons. He runs after his brother with a scoff. 

"We better make sure they don't cause a scene," Trish says, stepping up to Nero.

She smiles at Lady who nods, and the two women escort Nero to the basketball court, where the twins are playing. Already, there's a crowd watching as both men ran at extraordinary speed, dodging and stealing the ball from each other. It's like watching a ping pong match as the ball goes back and forth from one brother to another and from one side of the court to the other. Their jumps and movements are beyond normal human capabilities, playing both chaotically and elegantly. Two minutes of this effort would've exhausted a normal person, but neither men are even breathing heavily, laughing and taunting each other as they continued to play. 

The first score happens when from the half way point of the court, Vergil shoots towards the basket and the ball lands in, the first 3 points to him. The crowd cheers as the older man smirks, his brother starting the next round, and they're back to their monstrous playing. 

"They might actually be civil this time," Lady notes, but then Dante says, "Vergil, let's make this a little more fun! Fight moves allowed, get ready to get your ass handed to you!" 

The raven woman sighs. "Nevermind. Well, I wonder if we can make a little money from this. Fathers like sports and gambling, right? Be right back."

Nero just stands there, holding his father's jacket and tie, as Trish starts recording with her phone.

The game lasts a good solid thirty minutes, the crowd grown large and loud, before it's finally comes to an end. No one could keep up with the score, seeing how it was almost difficult to catch up to the brothers' speed with the human eye half the time and many people were distracted by the martial arts move the two kept using and how easily they dodged it as they played. It was like watching them dance. 

It ends when Credo and Kyrie finally show up to the open house, the young police cadet eyeing Lady almost instantly when he sees the amount of money slipping into her hands. "If you continue to illegally gamble on an elementary school premise," the young man says sternly, tapping the pair of handcuffs at his belt, "I will arrest you."

The raven woman raises an eyebrow, some of the men around her walking away nervously. "Spoil sports," Lady comments, putting the cash away into her pocket. Then she calls out to Dante and Vergil. "Last score ends the game!" 

The crowd grows wild, watching in anticipation as the brothers step up their game. Even more than they already are.

Kyrie, however, goes to the outdoor lunch tables nearby where Nero is sitting, wearing his father's suit jacket with the tie in his pocket. He looks so small in it, his arms not even making out the sleeves and it covered half his thighs. The girl laughs as she sits next to the boy. "Hi, Nero," she says warmly. 

"Hi, Kyrie," Nero replies, holding back a yawn. "What took you so long to get here?" 

"Credo had some paperwork to double check. He tried to finish fast, but he felt bad for keeping me at home when all my friends are here. I really don't mind, but my brother needed a break! He works too much sometimes. What about you? Everyone seems to be here."

Nero sticks out his bottom lip. "They're embarrassing. I was going to run away and live with you and Credo."

Kyrie giggles. "We'll build a giant blanket fort!" 

The boy giggles too, thinking that how nice that sounded. He yawns again, this time he's unable to resist. "That'd be cool," he says drowsily. "We'll make one when I go to your house again, Nico should come too. She knows how to build things and . . ." 

Nero's words slip away slowly, the boy blinking as his head falls backwards, and with a thud, he hits the back of the table. His eyes close, and he no longer stirs. Kyrie laughs quietly, already used to this. 

"There he is," Trish says, coming up to the two. "Hi, Kyrie."

"Hi, Trish," the girl replies quietly. "Nero is asleep right now."

The blonde smiles. "I can see that. I'll get Vergil or Dante to carry him home. They should be done by now. Principal Lucia is telling them off for their stupidity, giving the students ideas of how to play basketball. I won't be surprised if she bans them from coming in from now on." 

Kyrie nods in agreement. "That would be for the best," she says, all grown up like. "Credo says they are a danger to others and to themselves. When he becomes the captain of his precinct, he's going to get a warrant for their arrest." 

Trish bursts out into unadulterated laughter. 

 

 

 

Nero wakes up with sleep in his eyes. He recognizes that he's back in his room in Devil May Cry, and Dante is sitting on his bedside, pulling his blanket over him. 

"Hey, kiddo," Dante says with a smile, "go back to sleep. It's already past your bedtime." 

The boy yawns, sinking in his bed, and he hums. "Night, Dante."

"Night, Nero. I'll see you in the morning."

 

 

 

 

 

_Extra: Parent-Teacher Conference_

Nero likes spending time with V. If the teen doesn't pick Nero up that week, they still have Saturday nights together. Saturdays are when Nero helps make dinner, and when he goes to his brother's room with offerings, V keeps the door open to let the boy in. 

V's room is pretty cool with a bunch of books stacked up around his bed and filling up a few bookshelves, band posters on the wall with some art the teen did himself, and his computer system with three screens. Nero thinks it'd be awesome to play games on that. Griffon has a small platform nest hanging by the bed, chirping almost mockingly whenever V or Nero talk. 

Sometimes, on Saturdays, Nero brings his homework with him and tries to finish it on V's bed as the teen reads silently next to him or playing his violin. When Nero needs help, V always seems to know when without being asking and knows all the answers.

Other times, it's V putting on some period movie or documentary, and they sit on his bed to watch, Shadow nestled on top of them. More often than not, Nero falls asleep halfway through and wakes up the next morning in his room. 

But the rare times they spend outside, when V is feeling well enough to face the world, they go skateboarding. V's really good at it, gliding on his Quickplay like the road is always flat and never ending. 

Nero has his own skateboard too, but he hasn't named it yet. He does his best to keep up with V, and thankfully, the teen waits up on him, looking back at Nero as he quotes, " _To see the world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, an eternity in an hour._ "

It doesn't make sense, but V always has that small smile when he looks at Nero, reciting that, like he's understanding at that very moment what Blake meant. Nero's gonna have to read up on that, but for now, he's not interested. 

On the day of the promised parent-teacher conference on a pupil-free Friday, V takes Vergil's place, and he and Nero head off to Redgrave Elementary on their skateboards. V's holding his cane in his hand as travels through the city like it's a magic carpet, his tiny pet bird attached on the top. 

When they got there, the two hold their respective boards, V's thin pale arm like a stick against the broad black of Quickplay. Nero doesn't pay much attention to the conversation between his brother and his teacher, already knowing that she'll say because she's open to give praise when it's deserved, but he's all too aware of the smiles V gives him whenever the teen glances back at him. 

Nero's face feels warm in recognition, and he stays quiet through the conversation. 

As soon as they came, they soon go home, heading back to Devil May Cry on their skateboards, and Nero feels like he can fly. 

**Author's Note:**

> In-verse Info 
> 
> [Devil May Cry, on paper, is a private investigations business, located in a not-so-great part of the city, but not on paper, it's also a jack-of-all-trades business that can help you take care of your problem if Dante or Trish decide to take it. Business is usually closed for the day by the time Nero comes home, and on weekends, he's encouraged to go over to Kyrie's or Nico's houses to play, even if they live on the other side of the city; someone takes him out for a while to entertain him; or he stays on the second floor.
> 
> Even though he's ten, Nero knows about what Devil May Cry does, but he's been told to keep his nose of out of it until he's older. Dante promised that he'll tell Nero everything by the time he gets into high school, so Nero's compliant, though he complains about it sometimes.
> 
> V is seventeen, but due to his poor health, he homeschools himself. Like Vergil, he's intelligent, as is Nero. In the household, he manages the legal stuff like business contracts and property information while Vergil handles the money, Lady brings in some more business, and Trish decides whether they should take the job (she has the final veto). Dante is kinda useless on the business side, but professionally, he's the go-to guy to help you with your mess, so he's the representative of Devil May Cry. He did start it.
> 
> They all have their own rooms on the top floor of the building. Lady is the only one of them that isn't a permanent resident and has her own place and other connections, she's just there a lot. The first floor, where costumers come in, is the main living space and is where they hang out together and have the TV, dinner, etc. There's a small kitchen in the back behind a wall. Redgrave Elementary is the closest school that's located in a good part of the city. Devil May Cry's location was determined way before Nero came along.]
> 
> If you like my work(s), please check out [my Twitter](https://twitter.com/kappachyun?s=09).


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